News

FTC clears Albertsons, Safeway merger
Boise, Idaho -- Albertsons and Safeway announced on Tuesday that they have received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for the companies' proposed merger, which was announced on March 6, 2014. 

The FTC's clearance follows Albertsons' and Safeway's agreement to a proposed consent order, which includes a commitment to divest 168 stores.  
Average of 34% of consumers in leading economies buy more online in winter
NEW YORK — A survey conducted in eight world markets during the latter half of January 2015 revealed insights on online purchasing habits of consumers in winter. The survey was jointly carried out with One Hour Translation and Google Consumer Surveys and was based on a sample of 800 respondents — 100 from each of the following countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.

Ikea continues U.S. expansion with new Ohio store

Columbus, Ohio -- Ikea announced that it is submitting plans to the City of Columbus, Ohio, for a store that would increase the Swedish furniture retailer’s Ohio presence to two stores. The newest store, located in the Polaris Centers of Commerce development about 15 miles north of downtown Columbus, is slated to open summer 2017.
Hungry Howie's Pizza to unveil new digital ordering platform

Houston -- Pizza ordering continues to get easier and easier. Hungry Howie's Pizza has partnered with Revention to create a custom digital online ordering platform, a simple-to-use solution that allows customers to order from any internet capable device, whether desktop, tablet or mobile phone.
Amazon triples number of ‘free shippping’ items

New York -- E-commerce giant Amazon.com is upping the ante on its free shipping policy.

The Seattle company announced that all Amazon seller-fulfilled items are now eligible to contribute to Amazon’s minimum order of $35 to qualify for free shipping. So now customers can get free shipping whether the items are fulfilled by Amazon or from the millions of small and local businesses selling on Amazon.
NRF: Valentine’s spending looks rosy

Washington, D.C. – Valentine’s Day should be especially sweet for retailers this year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Valentine’s Day Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, the average person celebrating Valentine’s Day will spend $142.31 on candy, flowers, apparel and more.

That figure is up 6% from $133.91 in 2013. Total spending is expected to reach $18.9 billion, a survey high.
Dixons supports customer service, labor management with Reflexis

London - Dixons Carphone plc has selected Reflexis workforce management solutions to further enhance its customer service offering and increase employee involvement in labor management processes. The retailer will implement the solutions in its 500 Currys, PC World, and Dixons Travel Stores.

After an 18-month review including live trials with multiple vendors, Dixons selected Reflexis Workforce Manager, Reflexis Time and Attendance, and Reflexis Advanced Analytics and Reporting.
Independent retailers deploy FlexReceipts digital receipts

Orlando, Fla. – Digital receipts solution provide FlexReceipts will provide its technology to several independent retailers including denim retailer Paige USA, sportswear retailer TravisMathew, men’s clothier Milton’s, Rusty Del Mar Surf Shop and Robert’s China.
Home Depot, Zappos, Office Depot among online customer service leaders

Chicago – One pure-play and six omnichannel retailers received top honors for their online customer service in the E-Tailing Group’s Q4 2014 Mystery Shopping Study. In alphabetical order, the top performers were Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kate Spade, Office Depot, Ross-Simons, The Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, and Zappos.
Study: Holiday e-commerce revenue rises

New York – E-commerce revenue continued its strong growth trend of recent year in 2014. According to the Custora E-Commerce Pulse 2014 Holiday Recap Report, U.S. e-commerce revenue was up 15.6% from the 2013 holiday season.

Black Friday (20.6% year-over-year jump in revenue) and Cyber Monday (15.4% year-over-year revenue growth) were the two biggest single e-commerce shopping days of the 2014 holiday season.
Nielsen: U.S. consumer confidence on the rise

New York - With gas prices down 31% since June 2014 and oil prices tumbling to their lowest levels in several years, American consumer confidence has improved dramatically. According to the Nielsen Consumer Confidence Report, in fourth quarter 2014 U.S. consumer confidence went up 12 percentage points year-over-year.
Walgreens Boots Alliance names Alliance finance exec CFO

Deerfield, Ill. - Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has named George Fairweather, formerly group finance director of Alliance Boots, as executive VP and global CFO, effective Feb. 20. Fairweather will succeed Timothy McLevish, who served as Walgreens CFO since August 2014, where he oversaw the merger with Alliance Boots to form Walgreens Boots Alliance and served as the initial global CFO of the combined companies.